I don't think that is entirely the reason. I think the real impediment to the whole process was appeals to the first tender by loosing parties Kolektor CPG,  Euro-Asfalt and Cestno Podjetje Ptujm which caused the cancellation of the first tender.

It has cost the taxpayer 9,2m euros only in winning bid cost. And who knows how much more for all the bureaucracy for the appeals, cancellation and re-tender.

And these 3 companies decided not to enter the second tender. It is a bad, very bad joke really. And do not forget the at least one extra year for all that process.

Tax payers millions and valuable one year has been wasted.

You may have a point after all!

Contrary to my previous reply on you comment, indeed there are claims that "Slovenian construction mafia, Deep State and DARS" favoured some contractors and they tried to prevent Cengiz from gettig the contract.

I found this claim in "Demokracija" and they claim those forces mentioned found all the excuses and did everything they could, to stop Cengiz.

Some time ago, an economist and former minister Joze P. Damijan argues in an op-ed that macroeconomics is much more favorable for a local company to build the Karavanke tunnel and said "In publicly funded construction operations, we must look at the overall macroeconomic effects - not just the final price,". 

"Demokracija" says that there are no independent Slovenian contractors who can do the construction and even the subcontractors are foreign. Besides it says none of them have the extensive tunnel experience of Cengiz."Demokracija" says that the second cheapest offer is a whopping € 20 million more expensive than that of Cengiz.

Publication adds some claims about "Deep State" trying to provide work for Kolektor and Rick would carry out together with the Gorenjska construction company and Sarajevo-based Euro-Asphalt.

http://demokracija.si/fokus/spet-smo-pravilno-napovedali-sosledje-dogodkov-vlada-marjana-sarca-menja-upravo-darsa-z-namenom-da-projekt-gradnje-druge-cevi-skozi-karavanke-dobi-kucanov-izbranec-petric.html